Night Out

Police and Shortskirts

Sweden-based Wrexham fan Ragnar Ragnarson journeys from Scandanavia to Eastern Europe…

My journey to Ukraine involved a flight from Frankfurt to Kiev. The weather was awful: rain, rain and rain. At the airport in Kiev my first encounter with the police occurred. As a foreigner I was naturally taken aside and treated as if I was a criminal. I tried to explain that I was from a very friendly country, Sweden, but they didn't care. No English was allowed to be spoken - I thought this was a bit strange in such a big city as Kiev. I would say that the way the Ukrainian people act is a bit rude actually; they don't apologise and don't say sorry for not speaking English.

I was very lucky in that my girlfriend is from the Ukraine and I had her with me to explain things. She told me many things about how to act and how to behave. She told me that the Ukrainian people can tell by the way you walk whether you are a foreigner. I tried my best not to walk like a foreigner though.

In my accommodation, Hotel Tourist, I met four Welsh supporters in the lift and I told them about Red Passion and Wrexham. They were gentle with me and suddenly one of them gave me a lighter with 'WREXHAM AFC' printed on. Through Red Passion I must thank this guy. I didn't take his name but this was a very memorable moment for me.

Then on Wednesday many more Welsh supporters arrived, I met them and they invited me to the 24th floor because there was a Welsh pub! Again I must send my greetings to these supporters who bought me beers and were so friendly. I decided then that I must also travel to Norway for the World Cup game there. Once a Welsh fan, always a Welsh fan! At the hotel I watched TV, a total disaster. Everything was in Russian, everything, everything. The cartoon I watched was from 1955 - I don't think that children would have liked that very much. I didn't anyway and I'm very childish!

At the stadium it was an adventure. Police everywhere, checking bags and people. My girlfriend, Lilia, did the talking and I just followed. We had very good seats and on the opposite side I could see the Welsh supporters. There were many flags from Wales and there were about 75-100 supporters. The anthems began and the Welsh one was very good; people are very proud wherever it is played. It really touches your heart when you're abroad. The Ukraine anthem was sung very loud and in a very special Soviet way; maybe it was an opera singer who did this, who knows? It was very loud.

The game was a typical draw, with Wales playing for the point, with five or six players in defence. When the players entered the field it was so funny because the Ukrainian players' names were shouted out loud and the Welsh players' names very softly - this was designed to make the Welsh players nervous! But I could see that they didn't mind - they were solid, solid as a rock. When the Welsh side was given a free-kick about 30 minutes into the game, just outside the penalty area, I was standing up on my seat. This was a good position for a goal; people around me were looking at me in a strange way, but in my Welsh scarf I didn't care. Giggs took the free- kick and he hit the post - the inside of the post! Then Ukraine scored their goal and everyone was screaming. 

During the second half I went to the toilet. It was perfectly alright to leave the stadium, no problems. Then when I came back after five minutes I was stopped by the police! They had closed the gate to the stadium, to my stand. I said to them that I had paid and everything. They didn't pay any attention to me. Strange, funny, ridiculous. I tried to speak to them in a very friendly way but they ignored me; they were just looking the other way. I was lost, I was out of the stadium. I told them that my girlfriend was sitting just three rows away but even then there was no reaction from the police. Suddenly they opened the gate and I could get in again; they were smiling in a typically Russian way, but anyway I was inside again. The police are strange, very strange.

Very late in the game the Welsh team scored; Pembridge did it with a very nice shot. I was cheering, standing up and shouted out as loud as I could 'YEEEEESSSSS!' A man in front of me stood up very angrily with a red face and said something in Russian, but so what? I didn't care. My girlfriend had to explain to this man that I was a writer from Wales - that's why I was cheering. Thanks to my girlfriend - but this man still looked very angry. Hmm!? Wales had drawn 1-1 and I was pleased.

The day after I met some Welsh supporters at the hotel and they said it was a good night. It was so nice to meet them and to speak to them. Many thanks to them all. All over the place the Ukrainian girls were wearing very short skirts. I had seen short skirts before, but in the Ukraine every girl was in a short skirt. They were belts rather than skirts. But of course I didn't mind - no harm done. The Ukrainian girls were very nice to look at and there were also a lot of them.

The taxi driver who drove us back to the airport told me that Ukrainan girls are the best in the world. I thought Swedish girls were! My trip to Kiev and the Crimea was very nice and I will return some time. 

Many thanks to my girlfriend, Lilia, of course.